When working on or near a road it is imperative that you seek the approval of the coordinating road authority, whether that be the local council or VicRoads. Not sure where to start? Traffic Plans Company works with clients and industry partners to create highly specialised traffic plan solutions.
Designed to get through council approvals smoothly, we can remove the stress so you can focus on doing what you do best – your works. Read on to learn more about working on VicRoads roads.
How to Identify a VicRoads Road?
The easiest way to determine if the road you’re working on is a VicRoads or local council governed road is to check in the Melway. Roads shown in green, black, and red are all roads where VicRoads is the road authority and those in orange, grey and brown are under the authority of the local government.
Works on a Local Council Road
If you find the location of your work is on a local council road, you must check that the location is sufficiently far from a VicRoads road where the advance warning signage does not need to be placed, this includes any detour signs if required. The placement of any signage on a VicRoads road reserve requires approval from VicRoads. If you’re not sure, the best thing is to get in touch with us and we can help.
Works on a VicRoads Road
If working on a VicRoads road, here are some things to keep in mind:
Only VicRoads pre-qualified traffic management companies can work on VicRoads roads
There are pre-qualification levels for TMP (traffic management plan) preparation and permit submissions, as well as for traffic control implementation. Make sure your chosen company has the appropriate pre-qualification for the work you need them to do for you.
You will likely require more traffic management safety measures
Working on a VicRoads road is generally considered to be a higher risk, due to the higher volume of vehicles on the road and higher speeds. Therefore, you can expect there will be a need for more traffic management safety measures, with at least two traffic controllers required to implement the traffic control.
Work will be limited to off-peak hours on arterial roads
Arterial roads carry a high volume of cars, particularly during peak hours. For this reason you will find your hours of work will be limited to off-peak hours only, between 9:30am – 3:30pm. Keep in mind that this includes the time it takes to implement traffic management (such as advance warning signage and lane closures) so this will reduce your work window even further. If your work window of approximately 5 hours is not enough to complete the works, you may need to allow for two or more days to get the job done. This is an important consideration when working out the budget for the project.
Be aware of all of the necessary documentation required and the timeframes for approval
Before you can commence your works, at the minimum you will require both a TMP prepared by a VicRoads pre-qualified traffic management or planning company and a VicRoads Memorandum of Authorisation (often referred to in short as VicRoads MOA).
The VicRoads lead time for MOA approvals is a minimum of 15 business days, however, this can take longer depending on the VicRoads workload and whether several departments within VicRoads are required to review the TMP and agree on approval.
Working on a VicRoads road often requires closure of a lane, this effectively increases the vehicle volume on remaining open lanes. Therefore, VicRoads need sufficient time to assess the impact of the lane closure on the surrounding road network. Sometimes it means they have to adjust the traffic light phasing. In any case, make sure you allow enough time for VicRoads permit applications to avoid disappointment.
Melbourne’s road occupation charge
A recently introduced measure to limit the congestion in inner-city Melbourne is a road occupation charge for construction companies and other private parties. The area across which the road occupation charge applies extends across 121 suburbs from Beaumaris (South-East) to Balwyn North (East) to Glenroy (North-West) to Kingsville (West) in 11 local councils. The road occupation charge is calculated based on a rate per lane, per day, depending on the specific location. For more exact information and the list of all local councils across which the road occupation fee applies, refer to the below link or get in touch with us, we can help navigate and explain all the requirements.
Works Within Road Reserves consent
Another VicRoads permit which may be required is a Works Within Road Reserves consent, often referred to as simply WWRR or VicRoads consent. The VicRoads lead time for the WWRR applications is a minimum of 20 business days and VicRoads charges apply (approx. $400-$600). The WWRR approval is usually valid for 1 year.
You may need to obtain WWRR consent if:
- there are any excavation works on the road or road reserve (including minor excavation works for a new crossover).
- the works are classified as traffic impact works.
- the works are within 100m of an intersection.
- you require working during peak hour or require occupation of a bus lane or a clearway lane.
If you would like to find out if a WWRR consent is required for your works or for more information on how to apply, refer to the below link or get in touch with our friendly and knowledgeable team.
Need Help Navigating Works on or Near a Road?
The Traffic Plans Company is here to help! Based in Melbourne, we are known for our reliability, and ability to provide high-quality, fully compliant traffic management plans for a diverse range of settings at affordable prices. Our plans meet all industry codes and regulations, and we are backed by a pre-qualification status with VicRoads. Get in touch with us today by calling (03) 9066 4417 or get a quote online now.
The Traffic Plans Company specialise in quality traffic management plans and planning around Melbourne and other areas of Australia.
Why are the reasons big roads won’t approve day works and they come back saying only night works on a TMP?